Gerson: “What Trump is appealing to has more of a feel of European right-wing politics, ok, UKIP or the National Front — highly nationalistic, resentment of foreigners, we’ve been betrayed by our leaders. There’s some deep and disturbing things that are being appealed to here…”

Gerson also predicts that Trump “could damage the Republican Party for decades to come” with his immigrant/Latino bashing. On another note, Gerson rips Trump wannabe Scott Walker as “not thoughtful,” “not prepared,” and “not playing in the big leagues.”

For his part, Mark Shields notes that Trump is appealing to an extremely angry Republican electorate, a “mean-spiritedness in the electorate he’s appealing to…anti-immigrant…[a position which is] devastating the Republican Party in the long run.”

Finally, Shields raises a great point that’s well worth quoting: “What [Bush and Rubio] risk [by not condemning Trump strongly now] is that what Trump is doing and saying becomes so odious and so offensive that it almost will be seen as a moral surrender on your part, ultimately in the general election, that you didn’t stand up to him…that’s a real risk that anybody runs by not confronting him at this point.”

The problem, of course, is that large swaths of the Republican primary electorate really IS xenophobic, ultra-nationalist, etc., etc. And that’s the truly horrifying part of all this…

I thought that if we denied him attention he would go away. It was clear at first he would use criticism to gain traction. But he did not go away. Of course the so-called MSM has given him most of the air time to push his ridiculous and malicious statements. And that helps him add followers too. So progressives need to get busy taking on his xenophobia, vengeful nationalism, hyper-aggressiveness, contemptuous approach to everything; lack of appropriate experience (and, no, his ruthless corproate history wont do). He has bankrupted four companies, but where are the media on that? So, thanks for posting. We need to get busy taking him on in “print,” err, digital text.

Jim B

I suppose in the end the repugs will not let him win, but in the meantime we ought to enjoy the ride. Some of his stuff is certainly outrageous and he is not the champion of the working person, but on social issues I don’t think he is as extreme as the so called pro life crowd or bible thumpers.